In Europe, the 2016 Ford Focus RS produces 324 foot pounds of torque, according to the government. In reality, it gives you the full 350 all the time and will light up its tires mid-corner have you decided to switch off the traction control. But you can, and that’s important.

After Volkswagen was caught cheating its emissions tests with trick software, another rumor of Volkswagen cheatery popped up in motorsports. Could the Volkswagen team be using traction control to win at Global Rallycross, where driver aids such as traction control are expressly banned?

New cars are confusing. With all the computers, sensors, and gadgets, it may seem like there's some sort of magical witchcraft taking place under the hood. We're here to show you how modern automotive computer control systems work. Last week, we looked at EFI. Today's topics: ABS, TC, and ESC.

Red Bull absolutely walked away with a win at Montreal, but anyone watching the exit of the hairpin would see something was up with the way the RB9 exited the corner. Have they figured out how to use illegal traction control?

After this week's Top Gear, we're unable to get over how cool the Noble M600's traction control switch — a repurposed missile launch toggle from a Tornado fighter bomber — truly is. There's not a cooler TC on-off-switch out there.

Most people who love to drive and have something sportier than a Ford Taurus love to make a point of switching off the electronic nanny, whether in the guise of old-fashioned ESC or the form of some other acronym. And, while this may be appropriate if you're about to do a burnout or you're in the middle of a spin-out…